• Mayor, police chief call attention to drug enforcement challenges

By Trina Dennis Brittain
Rocket Miner
Via- Wyoming News Exchange

ROCK SPRINGS  — Town of Superior Mayor Dominic Wolf is sounding the alarm on local drug enforcement following a major narcotics bust on Oct. 15.

Agents from the Wyoming Department of Criminal Investigations worked alongside Volunteer Police Chief Ozzie Knezovich to intercept and arrest two individuals. According to Wolf, Danny Overy and Brian Baldwin carried six pounds of methamphetamine intended for distribution on the streets of Superior and the greater Sweetwater County area.

Wolf praised the joint operation, highlighting the heavy reliance small Wyoming communities place on volunteer law enforcement and state agencies.

“Small communities in Sweetwater County do not have the ability to stop the drug dealers menacing their communities,” Wolf said in a press release. “Without the help of volunteers like Chief Ozzie Knezovich and DCI, these drug dealers would still be selling their poison to our community members and our kids.”

Crime, judicial response

The mayor’s statement went beyond the recent arrests, pointing to bigger public safety struggles in Sweetwater County. Wolf noted the county currently faces a violent crime rate of 3 per 1,000 residents and some of the highest opioid- related death rates in the state.

Wolf also criticized the local judicial response to past drug offenses, claiming that a Sweetwater County judge in a previous case “acted sympathetically” toward repeat offenders, working against DCI and the prosecutor’s office.

“It is my hope that at some point something will change in Sweetwater County, and drug enforcement will become a priority,” Wolf said. “I would remind Sweetwater County voters that elections matter and we need to start electing people who care about our kids and our communities and not the drug dealers killing us.”

He added the recent operation marks one of the final major actions for Knezovich during his tenure, as he and Wolf prepare to finish their current terms in the coming months.

In a conversation with the Rocket Miner, Knezovich noted “more charges will come.” He also said getting drug dealers off the streets “makes the community safer.”

“That’s the goal,” Knezovich said. “We have a lot of work to do in Sweetwater County. These drug dealers go to smaller communities, because they know they’re safe and because smaller communities can’t do anything about it.”

Even though Knezovich will be stepping down as volunteer police chief for the Town of Superior, he said he will assist the DCI.

“I’ll continue to keep my eyes open in the community and when I identify a problem, I’ll get a hold of DCI,” he said. “I’ll just continue to work with them as a citizen informant. The DCI is a great group of people to work with.”

He added Robert Watts, a Superior man who was arrested on multiple drug charges and received a prison sentence of 3-5 years in the Sweetwater County Third District Court, “got a slap on the hand.”

Watts was sentenced for three counts of possession of a controlled substance — 9 grams of heroin, 5 grams of methamphetamine and 1 gram of marijuana — all third offense.

“My advice to the citizens of this community is pay attention to who your judges are,” Knezovich said. “When it is time to retain them, take it seriously. Don’t retain those who don’t protect your community.”

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